National Puzzle Day

Guess what I just found out? January 29th, last Saturday, was National Puzzle Day! First of all, I never knew such a day existed, and second of all, I had no idea when it was. And I missed it! If you're wondering why that's important to me, let me tell you. I am a GREAT lover of puzzles and always have been. One of the suggestions for celebrating the day was to gather all your different puzzles and spend the day doing all the kinds you enjoy. Me? I would have gathered all of my sudoku, word search, cryptogram, jigsaw, and logic puzzles, because they're my favorites. No I wouldn't. I would never have had time to spend a day doing that, but I can still dream. As it is, I "steal" time to do puzzles when I just want to relax and get away from all the various pressures.

Since I wasn't able to celebrate the day, and in its honor, I'm going to post one of the riddles I made up (or adapted) some time ago. I think it was posted before when we had our puzzlers at the main website, so if you saw it there, please don't cheat. You shouldn't participate.

And because it's such a special occasion, we'll give away a Highlights Puzzlemania activity book to the first person who guesses the right answer. We'd prefer it if you'd let your older kids try this one, but really there's no age limit. Whoever gets it first, gets the book. Please, no anonymous users, and please let us have a way to contact you. Here it is:

I am very light, but you cannot pick me up;
If I am given to you, you cannot take me home;
I may come with many companions like me, but we will never stay long.
Catch me if you can, but don't expect to capture me!

Don't be afraid to guess!! There's no penalty for being wrong, you know, and we will give each person two tries!! :) Enjoy.

Blessings, Maxine

Okay! Contest Ready!

Our fourth writing contest is officially open and we welcome any and all third, fourth, and fifth grade students to participate. Children usually enjoy writing their entries for our contests and we like to think they are enriched by doing them. We also like to think they are brought a few steps closer to embracing precious virtues as their own without our preaching to them!

If you know any children in these grades, and of course if there are any in your household, please encourage them to participate.

Click on the Contests tab above for all the details. The Speakable we are using for this contest is at the Poem tab.

Any questions, just write us at the email address we've provided.

Get the Pencils Ready!

New Speakables are up and a details on a new contest will be up by Monday!! For a sneak preview, click on the Poem tab.

Only One

Orange Pomanders

I had my daughter make this for my mom years ago when she (my daughter) was a little girl who liked doing projects. It really did have a pleasant smell and Mom loved it, mainly because her beloved granddaughter had made it. I don't know how long you can access the instructions from the link, but check over at The Old Farmer's Almanac for this and other activities for your kids.

Verses and Hymns for the Very Young

Our Children's cassette is now at a very low price while we seek the Lord's guidance as to how to get it in CD form in an affordable way. Pray for us, please. Meanwhile, if you have a cassette player or know someone else who does whose children would benefit, I encourage you to take advantage of the offer.

Most of the very young (little guys and gals) who hear it, love singing the songs and reciting the verses. I doubt if yours will be an exception. My older daughter was 17 and my younger was 5 when we recorded this, and the children of our dear friends who helped out were 10, 8, 6, and 4. They are all now young adults and all living for the Lord by His grace and mercy. (Well, Daniel the youngest is now 17 so almost a young adult.) You have GOT to hear four year old Daniel recite "All we like sheep have gone astray.") Kids love hearing other kids, so that's a bonus and the 17 year old voice helps hold everything together.

I will always love this recording, especially the memories it brings. Now my grandchildren are enjoying it and we want to have these voices around for the children of ages to come. So again, I ask that you pray for us that we can soon find a way to have it in CD form so more families can enjoy it.

More information is at our website and you can order it there.

God's blessings,

Maxine

Commandments Calendar

I think this is really a great way to teach the ten commandments this coming year: One of my favorite sites has calendars children can create with all types of themes, but I particularly like this one with the ten commandments. You print the calendars with images or without images (so your kids can draw their own), and you can make yearly or monthly printouts. Great if you want to make some up and give as New Year's gifts since it's too late for Christmas.

SG had a calendar publication which has now been discontinued for sale, but it was good for giving as gifts for Sunday school students at Christmas. These would work as well. Nice project for children who like to draw and/or color.

Praying that the coming year is blessed indeed for your family.

Once in Royal David's City

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav’n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

~ Cecil Alexander

Oh the wonderful truths in these words written by Mrs. Alexander, who loved to write poetry to help children understand the doctrines of the Bible! She has captured in this beloved hymn the real meaning of Christmas.

May you and your children be blessed by this Savior who was born in a lowly manger but is now set at God's right hand on high!!! Merry Christmas from our homes to yours.

Beverly and Maxine

Total Lunar Eclipse

Nice show put on courtesy of our Creator God in the early morning hours of December 21st. If you can afford the lost sleep and if the weather would permit doing so from outside, no doubt this would be quite worth while observing with your kids. More information is at The Old Farmers Almanac site. Please bookmark the sky watch page for kids to use in your science studies.

Amy Carmichael, a Christian Heroine

Having the particular love that I have for children, especially little girls, I feel that it was kind of the Lord to bless my husband and me with two little girls to raise. And now, He’s even blessed us with two granddaughters, who have been born to loving parents and a loving extended family. But there have been times and places (and still are) where it was dangerous to be born a female baby. Evil things could happen to her and evil people could harm her.

It was this way for many little girls in India. These children knew hardship and fear. But there were some, not a few, who found a sweet rescuer. They called her “Amma”, which means that she was a mother to them. Many of you have heard of the “Amma” of many little Indian children. Her name was Amy Carmichael and her story is exciting. Read the article about her in Glimpses for Kids, viewable online at CHI. Let your daughter read it too. No matter how old she is, she’ll remember Preena, and she’ll remember the woman who rescued her.

Ask your daughter to remember, too, the life changing events in Amy’s life that guided her to extraordinary years of service. Who knows what God may bring in your child’s experience that will lead her to do great things for Jesus? He did it for Amy, so isn’t it possible He could do it for her?

Lovingly, Maxine

Childhood Devotions

How important is it to instill in our children a love for the Word of God? How important is it that they grow into adulthood having firmly established that the precious Word is a vital part of their lives? We at Speakable Gifts believe this is indeed a top priority in the raising of our children and we further believe that establishing a daily time for devotions is a primary means that can be used by God to accomplish this. If you would read my article entitled "A Case for Daily Devotions in Childhood" you'll understand better how we feel about this.

Also, we're excited to tell you that for a limited time, in honor of Cyber Monday which we missed, our child's devotional book Bright Gems for His Crown will be selling for only $8.50. That's a savings of $3.00 off our regular price!! And not only THAT, but for a short time only there will be free shipping on all retail orders, no minimum order amount. Now is that generous of us or not??

Please let this be known if you would, especially the offer on the devotional book. Perhaps it would be a nice gift to give to some of the children who are dear to you, while at the same time having spiritual implications for their future.

Many blessings,
Maxine

The Pilgrims Came

The Pilgrims came across the sea,
And never thought of you and me;
And yet it's very strange the way
We think of them Thanksgiving day.

We tell their story, old and true
Of how they sailed across the blue,
And found a new land to be free
And built their homes quite near the sea.

Every child knows well the tale
Of how they bravely turned the sail
And journeyed many a day and night,
To worship God as they thought right.

~ Annette Wynne

Blessings to all for this Thanksgiving holiday!

Special Puppies

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups. And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. "Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money." The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would." With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands." With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy. "How much?" asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."



Thanks to Christian Life Stories for sharing this sweet story with us.

The Story of Jonah

Had to share this precious video which I copied from a friend on Facebook. This little girl has the gift of storytelling. I think the Lord is going to use her! I think your kids would enjoy this.

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Writing Contest Postponed

We had every intention of hosting our fourth writing contest this fall, but unfortunately, we think it will need to be put off until the beginning of next year. There is just too much going on here, and probably in your house as well, so maybe having it during the dismal days of mid winter would be better for all. Perhaps your kids will be a bit more eager to participate when there's not so much else happening!

So we'll let you know for sure at some point after the holidays.